Norwood

Norwood is a working-class residential neighborhood in the northwest Bronx, New York City. The area was originally farmland on the borders of West Farms and Yonkers at the time of the American Civil War, and it was annexed to New York City in 1873. In 1889, the neighborhood's streets were laid out. In the first half of the 20th century, Norwood was a mostly European area with Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish residents who became affluent enough to leave Manhattan. They were joined by Puerto Ricans during the Great Depression and after World War II, and, after 1965, by Dominicans, Bangladeshis, Albanians, Guyanese, Ghanaians, and Irish. From the 1970s to the 1990s, the area was known for its Irish population, attracting Catholic emigrants from Northern Ireland. However, the late 1980s recession led to many of the Irish returning to Ireland or heading to Germany; many illegal Irish immigrants were deported, while other voluntarily left after the Good Friday Agreement back home. In 2010, Norwood had a population of 40,494 people, with 58.7% being Hispanic, 17.9% African-American, 11% Asian, 9.9% white, 1.5% multiracial, .7% other, and .3% Native American.